Now at Tim Tyson’s talk that is a closeout to the Campus Reads a Book program. Tim introduced by director of the Stone African-American Culture Center. “Mercy” says Tim. Tim talks about the number of Methodist and Free Will Baptist preachers in his family. He introduces his parents and also Eddie McCoy who we all know from the book. Much said about Eddie as a local historian and notes that Eddie’s tapes and transcripts are in the Southern Historical Collection. September 8 5 – 7 Tim, his father, Eddie and Jacqueline Dowd Hall will be speaking at the Wilson Library.

3 point sermon to be delivered. MLK was a Southerner. The Black Power Movement was born in the South like King. King and Black Power Movement had much in common. The South is the major arena on which the problems and successes of our country are played out.

Tim’s talk is on MLK (Sally will have more on her blog later I’m sure. She’s writing now.).Tim talks about food. MLK’s fav food was fried pig’s ear sandwiches. Tim is big on food.

[taking time to listen here]

King as a realist not a genial black santa claus as we have made him. Eloquent description of King and is radicalism. Tim now speaks of King’s first speech at age 27. Embrasses the non-violent and Christian part of the movement.

Quotes King’s Chapel Hill speech. (Sally says that she’s read all that could be found on that speech and that she can’t recall that quote tho).

Now about the Black Power Movement. Black independent and Black separatism. Black Power are a revival of a tradition of resistance. James Meredith’s march and shooting changed the chat “Freedom now” to “Black Power” also the scene of Stokley Carmichael and MLK’s debate about the nature of power and how Irish, Italians and Jews had become white and how that might apply to blacks. They did not agree. No one was shouting “Irish Power” in order to get accepted in Boston.

Active question time. Is violence necessary? How did he come to tell that story and how long did it take him (since he was 11)? What about the reappropriation of the word nigger is asked by a young black woman senior from Oxford. Tim talks about reappropriation of Tar Heel, Linthead, Redneck, etc. Now about the Wilmington takeover. Aycock and the next six governors were all involved. The beginning of the Jim Crow South. In response to a recently released soldier’s concern that he had never heard of the Wilmington riots. How can a white man do African-Amercian studies asks a young white man in African-American Studies. Tim talks about talking on Robert Williams to the Republic of New Africa. Funny but tough talk.

What do we do about working on racism? Friendship is fine but what about public policy asks Tim. How to keep the public sphere open?

Mary Williams will be playing and singing songs that are referenced in the book including a take the roof off the church version of “Blood Done Sign My Name”